Burial vault cover handling apparatus



Jan. 23, 1968 R. F. WILLIAMS BURIAL VAULT COVER HANDLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct 23, 1965 llVVE/VTQR ROGER F. Mf/ LL #1 M5 M Jan. 23, 1968 R. F. WILLIAMS BURIAL VAULT COVER HANDLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 M/VE/VTOP HI 5 Hi? ROGER F W/LL/ZIMS' Jan. 23, 1968 R. F. WILLIAMS BURIAL VAULT COVER HANDLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 ,QEEM-E:

vvvnvrm ROGER F. I/V/LL/AMS B) Jan. 23, 1968 R. F. WILLIAMS 3,364,535

BURIAL VAULT COVER HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 23, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. ROGER F W/LL/A M5 Jan. 23, 1968 R. F. WILLIAMS BURIAL VAULT COVER HANDLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 l/VVf/VTOR ROGER F WILLIAMS WQQ W Hi5 EH Jan. 23, 1968 R. F. WILLIAMS BURIAL VAULT COVER HANDLING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 5 R W H m T R M mW F R E w r R a Sm mm wm 1 be 4/ %m @m United States Patent 3,364,536 BURKAL VAULT COVER HANDLING APPARATUS Roger F. Williams, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor to Wilbert W. Hesse Co, liiroadvievv, llllL, a corporation of Illinois Filed 0st. 23, E65, Ser. No. 503,782 12 Claims. (Cl. 27-ll) This invention relates to an apparatus for handling burial vault covers.

More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for use in moving a burial vault cover from a point at the side of a grave Opening into a position above the box-like portion of a burial vault disposed in a grave opening, so that the cover of the vault may be lowered into position of use upon the box-like portion of the vault and sealed thereto.

It is common practice in the funeral and burial vault fields to assemble the box-like portion of a concrete or like burial vault in a grave opening and to deposit the cover of the vault at one side of the grave opening prior to the graveside ceremony with suitable sealing material placed in the marginal groove which is formed on the inside of the cover for the reception of a marginal tongue portion which is formed on the upper surfaces of the sides and end walls of the box-like portion of the vault.

After the graveside ceremony, the casket is lowered by means of a suitable casket-lowering device into the boxlike portion of the burial vault and the burial vault cover is then moved along horizontal traekways into a position above the box-like portion of the burial vault, following which the box-like portion of the vault with the casket therein is raised and the vault cover is assembled upon and sealed to the box-like portion of the burial vault with the casket disposed therein. The interment is then completed by lowering the sealed burial vault with the casket therein into the grave opening.

A number of burial vault cover-handling devices have been known and used heretofore for moving a burial vault cover from a position at one side of a grave opening into a position above the box-like portion of the vault, which is disposed in the grave opening. However, there have been a number of objectionable features to all of such prior burial vault cover-handling devices and among these have been the fact that such prior burial vault coverhandling devices have, in general, been relatively heavy and massive and diiiicult to handle while also being expensive to manufacture due to the number of parts employed therein and the amount of the metal required therefor.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved and relatively simple and inexpensive burial vault cover-handling apparatus for moving a burial vault cover from a point at one side of a grave opening into a position above the boxlike portion of the burial vault which is disposed in the grave opening and into a position to be lowered onto and sealed to the box-like portion of a burial vault with the casket disposed therein, after the graveside Ceremony.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simpler, less complicated and less expensive burial vault cover handling device, for its intended purpose, than has existed heretofore in the art.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved burial vault cover clamping and handling device or apparatus which is composed of relatively few, simple, lightweight and relatively inexpensive parts and which employs substantially less metal than prior burial vault cover clamping and handling devices.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved burial vault cover clamping and handling apparatus which is so designed, constructed and arranged that it may be readily attached to and detached from the metal handle members which are commonly provided upon and are embedded in the upper surface of concrete and like burial vault covers for facilitating the handling, that is, the raising and lowering of such burial vault covers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus embodying a new and improved means for releasably assembling the new burial vault handling and clamping apparatus upon the corner portions of a concrete or like burial vault cover and :for retaining the same in assembled position thereon during the operation of moving the burial vault cover.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in the new burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus novel corner-clamping or cradle units having flexible cable members attached thereto with each of the flexible cable members having handleengaging means or hook members attached thereto, and novel cable-tensioning means interconnecting the flexible cable members for tensioning the flexible cable members and thereby urging the corner-clamping cradle units into clamping engagement with the corner portions of a burial vault cover while, at the same time, urging the handle-engaging or hook members carried by the flexible cable members into tight latching engagement with handle members on the burial vault cover.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a typical assembly of a concrete or like burial vault at a grave opening and showing a box-like portion of the vault in the grave opening with the burial vault cover disposed at one side thereof and mounted on trackways along which it may be moved by the new burial vault handling and clamping apparatus into position above the box-like portion of the vault so that the burial vault cover may be assembled with the box-like portion of the vault and sealed thereto after the graveside ceremony;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a burial vault cover showing a typical embodiment of the new burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus associated therewith;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view as seen 'from the lefthand end in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating the novel corner clamping or cradle units of the new burial valut cover handling and clamping apparatus and the flexible cable members and attached handle-engaging or hook members engaged with handle members of a concrete or like burial vault cover;

PEG. 5 is a sectional detail view on line 5-5 in FIG. 3 of one of the new corner clamping or cradle units illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the novel clamping and cable-tensioning means embodied in the new burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus and showing the same in clamping and eflective position;

FIG, 7 is a bottom plan view of the new cable tensioning and clamping means illustrated in FIG. 6 and also showing the same in clamping and effective position;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional detail plan view, on line 8-8 in FIG. 3, of a toggle unit embodied in the new cable-tensioning and clamping means shown in FIGS. 6 and 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of the area indicated at FIG. 10 in FIG. 7 and illustrating a assgsss part of the rack member embodied in the new cabletensioning and clamping means illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of parts of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling apparatus of the present invention and illustrating the corner-clamping or cradle units and the novel cable-tensioning and clamping unit which interconnects the corner-clamping members of cradle units;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the novel cable-tensioning means embodied in the new burial vault cover clamping and handling apparatus and showing the same in closed or effective clamping position;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of parts of the rack and ratchet mechanism embodied in the cabletensioning means of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling apparatus;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view on line 14-14 in FIG. 12 of parts of the rack and ratchet mechanism embodied in the cable-tensioning means of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling apparatus;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, of parts of the novel cable-tensioning means embodied in the present invention for manipulating the corner-clamping or cradle units and the flexible cable members and attached handle-engaging means or hook members into and out of effective position and showing the same in Open or released position;

FIG. 16 is a view, partly in section, on line 16-16 in FIG. 7, of the novel cable-tensioning means illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 9, l0, 11, 12 13 14 and 15 but showing the same in closed and effective or clamping position;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 11, but illustrating a modification of the invention;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on line 1818 in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on line 1919 in FIG. 17; and

FIG. 20 is an enlarged horizontal sectional plan view on line 20-20 in FIG. 17.

A typical embodiment of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling apparatus is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 16, inclusive, of the drawings, wherein it is general.- ly indicated at 20, and two of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling units 20 are shown as being associated with the cover 21 of a concrete or like burial vault which has a plurality of suitably spaced metal or like handle members 22 embedded in the upper wall surface thereof, as is customary in the art.

Each of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling units 20 includes a pair of caster wheel members 23 which are adapted to be moved along horizontal trackways 24 which are adapted to be arranged at opposite ends of a grave opening, as shown in FIG. 1. These horizontal trackways 24 are mounted upon and are supported by corner pedestal units 25 of an electrically powered burial vault handling apparatus, generally indicated at 26, and which includes power driven horizontal cable and pulley Shafts 2'7, and flexible cables 2% windable thereon, for raising and lowering the box-like portion 29 of a burial vault in and relative to the grave opening (FIG. 1).

It is customary practice in the funeral and burial vault arts for a concrete or like burial vault cover 21 to be arranged upon the horizontal trackways 24 at one side of the grave opening until the graveside services have been completed, and the casket lowered into the box-like portion of the vault, whereupon the burial vault cover 21 is rolled on the caster wheels 23 along the horizontal trackways 24 into position above the box-like portion 29 of the burial vault. The box-like portion 29 of the burial vault, with the casket therein, is then raised by the electrically powered burial vault handling apparatus 26 into engagement with the vault cover 21 sealed to the boxlike portion 29 of burial vault with the casket disposed iwithin the thus sealed burial vault. The interment exercise is then completed by lowering the sealed vault with the casket therein into the grave opening by means of the power-driven burial vault lowering device 26 and associated pulley and cable shaft 27 and flexible cables 28.

Since the two burial vault cover clamping units 26 shown in the drawings are identical in construction, only one Of these will be described in detail herein; it being understood that two of the new burial vault cover handling and clamping units 2% are used in connection with a. concrete or like burial vault cover 21.

Each of the burial vault cover handling and clamping units 2d includes a pair of flexible wire cable members 30 and 61 each of which has a vault cover handle-engaging hook member 31 attached thereto at its outer end. Each of these flexible cable members 3% and 61 is slidably guided in and is slidably movable through a tubular guide member 32, one of which is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the outer surface of a vertical wall member 33 which forms a part of the generally rectangular-shaped frame structure of a burial vault corner-clamping member or cradle unit 34. Two of the corner-clamping members or cradle units 34 are embodied in each of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling or cradle units 2%. Each of the handle-engaging hook members 31 is adapted to be detachably engaged with one of the wire or like handle members 22 of the burial vault cover 21, as shown in the drawings.

The frame structure of each of the burial vault cornerclamping or cradle units 34 also includes an upright vertical wall 35' which is integrally attached to a corresponding one of the vertical wall 33, which it intersects at right angles (FIG. 5), and each of the vertical walls 33 has a lateral extension or flange as which extends outwardly beyond the adjacent vertical side wall 35. Each pair of the vertical walls 33415 has a horizontal flange or shelf portion 6d at its lower end, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11. In addition, each of the lateral extensions 36 of each of the burial vault corner-clamping or cradle units 34 has an opening 37 therein (FIG. 5) through which a corresponding one of the flexible cable members 30 is slidably inserted and is movable.

A horizontally extending stub shaft 38 is rigidly attached to each of the vertically extending flange members 35, on the inner side thereof (PEG. 5), as by welding or the like, and one of the caster wheels 23 is rotatably mounted upon each of the stub shafts 38, so that each of the corner-clamping or cradle units 34 becomes a wheelbearing corner-clamping or cradle unit.

Each of the new burial vault cover handling and clamping units 2% includes a novel cable-tensioning device, generally indicated at 39 in the drawings, for tensioning the flexible cable members 3% and 61 and for releasably clamping each of the burial vault corner-clamping or cradie units 3 into clamping engagement with a corner portion of the vault cover 21 and for tightening the flexible cable members 3t}: and 61 and attached handle-engaging hook members 31 into hooked engagement with handle members 22 on the vault cover 21.

To this end the flexible cable member 30 of each of the burial vault cover clamping and handling units 20 has an end portion 4d which is slidably inserted through an opening 41 which is formed in the bight portion 42 of a U-shaped toggle member 43. Each of the U-shaped toggle members includes a pair of spaced parallel arms 44 which are interconnected by the bight portion 42, as shown in FIGS, 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings. The flexible cable member 369 has an enlarged head portion 45 at its inner end for preventing withdrawal of the flexible cable member 3t from the opening 41 in the bight portion 42 of the yoke member 43 (FIGS. 6, 7 and 8).

Each of the cabie-tensioning devices 3% includes an elongated channehshaped cable tensioning lever unit 46 which includes spaced parallel side walls 47 and a top wall $8, and the side walls 47 of the cable tensioning lever unit 46 are pivotally connected, as at 49, to the inner end portions of the arms 44 of the U-shaped toggle member 43 (FIGS. 8 and 9).

Each of the cable tensioning and clamping devices 39 includes an elongated rack bar member 50, part of which extends between the spaced parallel arms 47 of the channel-shaped cable tensioning lever member 46. The eTongated rack bar member 5! has an enlarged head portion 51 at one end thereof and this enlarged head portion 51 is pivotally connected, as at 52, to the side walls 47 of the toggle member 46 (FIGS. 6, 7 and 8). The rack bar member 50 has a notched or serrated surface 53 along its upper edge, and a ratchet unit 54 is adapted to be moved along and to be engaged with the serrated surface 53 of the rack bar member 56, as will be described more fully hereinafter.

The flexible cable member 61 has a head portion 55 attached thereto, at its inner end. The ratchet unit 54 includes a frame embodying side wall members 56, the lower end portions of which are interconnected by means of a hinge pintle 57, or the like, and the head 55 of the flexible cable member 61 is pivotally mounted on the hinge pintle 57. Similarly, the upper end portion of the side Wall frame members 56 of the ratchet unit 39 are interconnected by a combination pintle and ratchet tooth member 58 which is adapted to be moved along the serrated or notched rack surface 53 of the elongated rack bar member 54 A limit stop member 55 is provided on the head 55 of the flexible cable member 61 to limit pivotal movement of the ratchet unit 54 relative to the head 55 and rack bar member 50.

In the use of the new burial vault cover clamping and handling units 24), two of such units may be assembled at opposite ends of a concrete or like burial vault cover 21, as shown, with the caster wheels 23 disposed upon the horizontal trackways 24, with the wheel-bearing cornerclamping or cradle units 34 arranged in position to embrace the four corner portions of the burial vault cover 21, and with the four hook members 31 engaged with four of the handle members 22 on the burial vault cover 21.

At this time, the corner portions of the burial vault cover 21 will rest upon the horizontal flanges 60 of the burial vault corner-clamping or cradle units 34 Wi-h the vertical side walls 33 and 35 of the corner-clamping or cradle units 34 embracing the adjacent corner wall portions of the burial vault cover 21.

During this operation the combination cable-tensioning and clamping device 39 will be disposed in slack or open position, as in FIG. 15 of the drawings. The ratchet unit 54 is then slid manually along the rack bar member 50 into position to take up the slack in the flexible cable members 61, whereupon the manually operable cable tensioning lever member 46 of the cable tensioning device 39 is manipulated into effective or closed position (clockwise from the position in which it is shown in FIG. 15 into the position in which it is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 16 of the drawings).

During this operation, the cable tensioning lever member 46 pivots, upon its pivotal connection 52, with the U-shaped toggle member 43 which is carried by the flexible cable member 30, and this movement of the cable tensioning lever 46 pivots the rack bar member 50, on its pivotal connection 52 with the cable-tensioning lever 46, thereby moving the inner end portion of the rack bar member 50 into a position between the arms 44 of the toggle member 43 and thus slidably moving the rack bar member 5053 from right to left, or from slack position, in which it is seen in FIG. 15, into cable-tensioning position, in which it is shown in FIG. 16 of the drawings.

As the rack bar member 50 is thus moved from a slack to effective or cable-tensioning, the pintle tooth 58 of the ratchet member 54 is urged into the latching engagement with a selective one of the notches in the notched upper surface 53 of the rack bar member 50, and the flexible cable members 3! and 61 are thus tensioned or pulled taut, and the wheel-bearing corner-clamping or cradle units 34 are thus moved into tight clamping engagement with the adjacent corner portions of the burial vault cover 21. Likewise, during this operation, as the flexible cable members 30 and 61 are thus tensioned, they are slidably guided in the tubular guide members 32 and through the openings 37 in the laterally extending flanges 36 of the corner-clamping or cradle units 34, thereby tightening the handle-engaging means or hook members 31, which are carried by the flexible cable members 30 and 61, into tight latching engagement with the corresponding handle members 22 on the vault cover 21.

After the graveside service, the burial vault cover 21,

r with two of the new burial vault cover handling and clamping units 20 thus assembled thereon, may then be rolled on the caster wheels 23 over the horizontal trackways 24 into a position above the box-like portion 29 of the burial vault disposed in the grave opening (FIG. 1).

The cable-tensioning levers 46 may then be manipulated from closed position (FIG. 16) into open position, as in FIG. 15, and the ratchet units 54 slid outwardly on the rack bar member 50 so as to slacken the flexible cable members 30 and 61, whereupon the hook members 31 may be manually disengaged from the handle members 22 on the burial vault cover 21.

The electrically powered burial vault handling device 26 is then manipulated to raise the box-like portion 29 of the vault; with the casket therein, up into engagement with the cover 21 of the vault which is then sealed thereto. The burial vault cover handling and clamping units 29 may then be removed from engagement with the burial vault cover 21, and from horizontal trackways 24, whereupon the assembled burial vault cover 21, the box-like portion 29 thereof, with the casket therein, are then lowered, by means of the burial vault handling device 26, into the grave opening.

It will thus be noted from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, that the new burial vault cover handling and clamping units 20 are composed of relatively few, simple and lightweight parts which are easy to operate in use, and which are free of the massiveness of comparable prior art burial vault cover clamping and handling units due to the heavy massive construction of the parts of such prior art devices, thereby effecting a distinct economy in manufacture as well as ease in handling and use of the new burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 17 to 20, inclusive, of the drawings, and those parts thereof which are similar to, or comparable to, corresponding parts in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10, inclusive, have been given the same reference numerals followed by the additional and distinguishing reference character a.

The modification of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 17 to 20, inclusive, is substantially similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 15, inclusive, except that in this form of the invention the tubular guide members 32 have been eliminated and in place thereof a different guide means for the flexible cable members 30a and 61a has been provided.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 of the drawings, an elongated guide member 62 is secured in any suitable manner, as by welding, to the outside of each of the vertical wall members 33a and each of these guide members 62 has an elongated horizontally extending guiding groove 63 formed on the bottom surface thereof for the reception of a corresponding one of the flexible cable members 30a and 61a, as best shown in FIG. 18 of the drawings.

In addition, the guide means for the flexible cable members 30a and 61a includes a second guide member 64 which is secured in any suitable manner, as by weld- 3 ing, to the outer surface of each of the vertical wall members 33a and each of these guide members 64 has a horizontally extending groove 65 formed therein in its outer surface for the reception of the corresponding one of the flexible cable members 3dr: or 61a.

Likewise, the new guide means for the flexible cable members a and 61a include an opening 67 which is formed in each of the upright wall members 36a for the passage of the corresponding one of the flexible cable members 30a or 61a (FIGS. 17 and 20),

In the use of the modification of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 17 to 20, inclusive, and during movement of 'the flexible cable members 3001 and 61a the same Work in and are guided by the elongated guiding grooves 63 in the guide members 62 and the guiding grooves 65 in the guide members 64, and in and through the holes 67.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, that the present invention provides a new and improved burial vault cover handling and clamping unit having the desirable advantages and characteristics and accomplishing its intended objects including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention.

I claim:

1. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus for handling concrete or like burial vault covers having handle members embedded therein and projecting from the outer surface thereof comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced corner-clamping or cradle units adapted to be arranged at each end of said vault cover each having:

(1) wheel members rotatably mounted thereon for movement over a horizontally extending trackway along which a burial vault cover may be moved from a position at one side of a grave opening into a position over the grave opening;

(2) a flexible cable member slidably attached to each of said corner-clamping or cradle units;

(b) handle-engaging means attached to each of the said flexible cable members and detachably engageable with said handle members carried by the said burial vault cover;

(3) means carried by each of said corner-clamping or cradle units for guiding the said flexible cable members for movement relative to the said corner-clamping or cradle units; and

(4) manually operable cable-tensioning means interconnecting the said flexible cable members for tensioning the said flexible cable members and for releasably moving the said corner-clamping or cradle units into clamping engagement with the corner portions of the said burial vault cover while, at the same time, urging the said handle-engaging means attached to each of the said flexible cable members into tight latching engagement with the said handle members on the said burial vault cover.

2. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which (1) the said handle-engaging means carried by each of the said flexible cable members is in the form of a hook member attached to the outer end portion of each of the said flexible cable members, and is (2) detachably engageable with one of the said handle members on the burial vault cover.

3. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which (1) each of the said corner-clamping or cradle units comprises a generally rectangular-shaped frame structure including:

(a) vertically extending upright wall members intersecting each other at substantially a right angle and adapted to be moved by manipulation of the said cable-tensioning means and of the said flexible cable members into and out of clamping engagement with adjacent vertically extending side and end wall portions of the said burial vault cover.

4. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 3 in which (1) the said generally rectangular-shaped frame structure of each of the said corner-clamping or cradle units includes:

(a) a horizontally extending wall member adapted to have a portion of the bottom wall of the said burial vault cover rested thereon.

5. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 3 in which said guide means includes means for slidably guiding a portion of the corresponding one of the said flexible cable members and the said handle-engaging means carried thereby relative to the said corner-clamping or cradle units.

6. Burial vault cover handling apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which (1) the said manually operable means includes:

(a) an elongated rack bar member extending between the said corner-clamping or cradle units;

(b) manually operable cable-tensioning lever means pivotally connected to one end portion of the said elongated rack bar member;

(c) ratchet means carried by one of the said flexible cable members and releasably engageable with the said elongated rack bar member; and

((1) means attached to the inner end portion of the other one of the said flexible cable members and pivotally connected to the said manually operable cable tensioning lever means for manipulating the said elongated rack bar into latching engagement with the said ratchet means and for tensioning the said flexible cable members so as to move the said corner-clamping or cradle units into releasable clamping engagement with the corner portions of the burial vault cover while, at the same time, moving the said handle-engaging means into tight clamping engagement with the handle members on the said burial vault cover.

7. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which (1) the said manually operable cable-tensioning lever means and the said means attached to the inner end portion of the other one of said flexible cable members includes:

(a) a cable-tensioning lever including an end portion having an end portion of the said elongated rack bar pivotally connected thereto; and

(b) a generally U-shaped toggle member including a bight portion having one end portion of one of the said flexible cable members connected thereto and including (c) spaced generally parallel arm members pivotally connected to the said cable-tensioning lever between the ends of the said cable-tensioning lever.

8. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 7 in which (a) the said cable-tensioning lever is generally U- shaped in cross section and includes:

(1) spaced parallel side walls which are adapted to be moved into position on opposite ends of the said elongated rack bar member, and

(2) a top wall which is adapted to be moved into a position above the said elongated rack bar member when the said cable-tensioning lever is moved into position to tension the said flexible cable members.

9. Burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus cable-tensioning 7 as defined in claim 8 in which (a) the said elongated rack bar includes a serrated edge portion; and in which (b) the said ratchet member includes:

(1) a frame structure including spaced parallel side walls adapted to straddle the said elongated rack bar member on opposite sides thereof;

(2) means interconnecting an inner end portion of said one of the said flexible cable members with the said frame structure of the said ratchet means; and

(3) a pintletooth extending between the side walls of said ratchet frame structure and releasably engageable with the said serrated surface of the said elongated rack bar member.

10. A burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said guide means includes spaced guide members on the outer surface of the said corner-clamping or cradle units for guiding the flexible cable members for movement relative to the said corner-clamping or cradle units.

11. A burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which each of the said spaced guide members has a guiding groove formed therein for the reception of one of the said flexible cable members.

12. A burial vault cover handling and clamping apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which one of the said guide members is in the form of a vertically extending guide member having a generally horizontally extending groove formed therein for the reception of the said flexible cable members, and in which the other of the said guide members is in the form of an elongated guide member having a guiding groove formed in its bottom surface for the reception of the aforesaid one of the said flexible cable members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,520,630 12/1924 Bateman 21439O 2,112,286 3/1938 Haase 27--32 2,457,671 12/ 1948 Haase 27-32 2,537,812 1/1951 Boehme 27-1 3,164,881 1/1965 Mead 27-32 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. W. E. KAMM, Examiner. 

1. BURIAL VAULT COVER HANDLING AND CLAMPING APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CONCRETE OR LIKE BURIAL VAULT COVERS HAVING HANDLE MEMBERS EMBEDDED THEREIN AND PROJECTING FROM THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF COMPRISING: (A) A PAIR OF SPACED CORNER-CLAMPING OR CRADLE UNITS ADAPTED TO BE ARRANGED AT EACH END OF SAID VAULT COVER EACH HAVING: (1) WHEEL MEMBERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED THEREON FOR MOVEMENT OVER A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING TRACKWAY ALONG WHICH A BURIAL VAULT COVER MAY BE MOVED FROM A POSITION AT ONE SIDE OF A GRAVE OPENING INTO A POSITION OVER THE GRAVE OPENING; (2) A FLEXIBLE CABLE MEMBER SLIDABLY ATTACHED TO EACH OF SAID CORNER-CLAMPING OR CRADLE UNITS; (B) HANDLE-ENGAGING MEANS ATTACHED TO EACH OF THE SAID FLEXIBLE CABLE MEMBERS AND DETACHABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID HANDLE MEMBERS CARRIED BY THE SAID BURIAL VAULT COVER; 